Other writers from the book included Tara O’Shea, editor of Chicks Dig Timelords; Jennifer Smith and Caroline Pruett of Fantastic Fangirls; Lynne Thomas, co-editor of the book; and the panel was moderated by Sigrid Ellis, a co-editor of the book.

During the panel, the ladies celebrated their love of comics that, for most of them, went far back to their childhoods. And they expressed a little bit of frustration that they even have to point out that women read comics and always have.

The panel which birthed the term "Women in Refrigerators" from Green Lantern

As you may have noticed if you read GeekMom and GeekDad regularly, I’m a passionate reader of superhero comics and have been since I can remember.

But, being a woman (duh), it’s impossible to miss the issues with the portrayal of female characters over the years.

Nowhere was outrage more consolidated than in a site called Women in Refrigerators. WiR tried to detail the various deaths, depowerments and violence against women in superhero comics and how different it was from the violence and death directed at the men.

It wasn’t ever meant to be a comprehensive list of bad things done to women in comics. Instead, it was created to start a discussion, point to happenings and say “so, why do you all think this happened?”

Now, Women Write About Comics has asked comic bloggers this week to write on a single topic: Women in Refrigerators, Thirteen Years Later. They already have a number of links of with sometimes divergent points of view on the topic.

I have somewhat of a unique perspective on WiR in that I’m a co-moderator for Gail Simone, one of the founders of WiR, both on her current forums on Jinxworld and her previous forums at ComicBookResources.com. Simone is under contract for DC and has written Birds of Prey,Secret Six, Welcome to Tranquility,Wonder Woman, Superman, and several other titles. That’s somewhat of a big flashing light that things have changed since the site went up.

But they haven’t changed completely.

When people came to the forums to yell at Gail Simone for being an uppity feminist or claim that she hated men or that the whole site was idiotic, I had to deal with them. Over and over, Simone merely directed people to the site, claiming that those who were yelling about WiR probably hadn’t read it fully. If we could really move past WiR, those people would never show up.

So, I think before I can talk about WiR now, we need to go back to the site: Women in Refrigerators. The most interesting part isn’t the list or the fact that women were badly served by many superhero storylines.

Most of us here know that already.

It’s the page of respondents, a list of comic creators commenting on the issue. And, wow, do many of the male creators unload on their colleagues. Read Mark Waid’s response in particular. A sentence:

Most males are fans of or in comics because they’re social misanthropes who can’t get laid or can’t keep girlfriends and they’re pissed about it on some level. There’s the famous — and true — anecdote of the Hellcat story that consists mostly of her being beaten to a pulp by a man, a story that BY THE *WILDEST* COINCIDENCE was written by a man in the middle of harsh divorce proceedings.

There’s been somewhat of a perfect storm surrounding DC’s relaunch of all it’s titles coming in September, especially concerning the seeming lack of female creators and the writing of female characters in general. Of their announced titles last month, only one featured a full time female creator out of approximately one hundred writers and artists working on the relaunch and it appeared several popular female characters had gone missing in action, while the same was not true of their counterparts.

I touched on in in my third Open Letter To DC Comics, saying that if the company truly wanted new readers, they needed to do a better job reaching out to everyone in the digital world, especially to women. I also interviewed the owner of the DCWomenKickingAss about the issue, and wrote over on GeekMom how unhappy I was with some of the changes, which seemed regression rather than progression.

While their response at SDCC was certainly a public relations failure, DC executives apparently took another look at the situation and finally issued this statement, entitled “We Hear You,” on the The Source, the official DC blog:

By DC Comics’ Co-Publishers

Over the past week we’ve heard from fans about a need for more women writers, artists and characters. We want you to know, first and foremost, that we hear you and take your concerns very seriously.

We’ve been very fortunate in recent years to have fan favorite creators like Gail Simone, Amy Reeder, Felicia Henderson, Fiona Staples, Amanda Connor, G. Willow Wilson and Nicola Scott write and draw the adventures of the World’s Greatest Super Heroes.

DC Comics is the home of a pantheon of remarkable, iconic women characters like Wonder Woman, Lois Lane, Batgirl, Batwoman, Catwoman and Supergirl as well as fan favorite characters like Black Canary, Katana, Mera and Starfire. We’re committed to telling diverse stories with a diverse point of view. We want these adventures to resonate in the real world, reflecting the experiences of our diverse readership. Can we improve on that? We always can—and aim to.

We’ll have exciting news about new projects with women creators in the coming months and will be making those announcements closer to publication. Many of the above creators will be working on new projects, as we continue to tell the ongoing adventures of our characters. We know there are dozens of other women creators and we welcome the opportunity to work with them.

Our recent announcements have generated much attention and discussion and we welcome that dialogue.

Whatever happened behind the scenes, I welcome DC’s statements and I’m glad to hear that they there will be more diverse titles coming, not only in regard to women other groups badly represented in mainstream superhero comics.

The digital market offers an incredible chance to expand DC readership. I just hope they capitalize on it. And that the books themselves are much better than their initial public relations efforts.

I wrote a post earlier this week about the relaunch of DC’s regular titles which includes their entry into same-day digital. In that post, I lamented that DC’s digital marketing was lacking and that the company wasn’t even trying to reach out to new readers, particularly women.

The post was noticed on some popular comic book sites, which was gratifying, but more than a few of those commenting on the subject basically said ”girls just don’t read comic” or “girls just don’t like superheroes.”

Womanthology Cover

But now there’s proof that not only do “girls” read comics, they’re willing to quickly back up that desire with hard, cold cash.

Womanthology, a massive independent all-female comics anthology with an all-star lineup of female creators, asked on Thursday for funding to pay IDW Publishing the cost of printing the anthology. Within 24 hours, Womanthology had reached their funding goal of $24,000. As of this writing, the project had received over $36,000.

They had over 600 people pledging dollars and almost 293 of them pledged over $50. In less than one day.

And it’s true that to make a outreach a success, DC needs more than 600 new female readers.

But this interest is for an independent project of original stories, traditionally a much harder sell in the comics market which tends to be dominated by Marvel and DC.

Creators involved in Womanthology gave the fundraising a push via social media sites like Twitter and Facebook but I can only imagine what would happen if DC Comics put the full force of their marketing behind a project with their heroes by female creators. And I mean full force, such as getting into social media and create a buzz among the bloggers that are so key to success in the digital market, something DC hasn’t done yet, as I pointed out earlier this week.

One of our favorite geeky musicians, “Weird Al” Yankovic, released a children’s book early this year about the vast universe of choices kids have when deciding what to be when they grow up. The main character, Billy, wants to do a bit of everything — a trait shared by many a geek, as I mentioned here. The book, When I Grow Up, has now hit the iPad in an interactive version designed by Bean Creative, and it’s a blast.

I spoke with musician — and now, New York Times best-selling author — Al Yankovic by phone about writing kids books, reaching a new generation of fans, and being a dad. Oh, and trying to get “Weird Al” into a comic book.

Gail Simone’s run effectively ended with the completion of the story in Wonder Woman: Contagion, though she did write a story for issue #600, the last one before the title was rebooted to give a more modern origin to the Amazon warrior. (I’ve been waiting for that story to be completed before reviewing it.)

Hollywood has apparently considered Wonder Woman a difficult property to exploit despite the character’s name recognition. Most people remember Wonder Woman solely from the ’70s Wonder Woman television show. While that show had its positives and has many, many fans, it could be as cheesy as the 1960s Batman television show.

Through what I consider a series of mis-steps, the firstBirds of Prey series ended in 2009 with issue #127, a ten-year run that was highlighted by the work of Chuck Dixon and then Gail Simone.

With the series over, its super heroines were scattered to various other titles where they didn’t fare particularly well or mostly forgotten about altogether.

So when a relaunch was announced with Gail Simone, as the writer, I was thrilled but a little bit concerned, considering the title is a tie-in to a big DC event, Brightest Day. Tie-ins can be problematic because the creative team has to work around editorial mandates that may or may not make for good storytelling. Mostly, however, this tie-in simply meant the addition of two characters new to the series. That’s made the cast somewhat crowded but its hardly hampered the storytelling

Cover to 1st issue of relaunched Birds of Prey. That's Hawk & Dove in the shade in the background.

Summary:

After events in other DC titles, comics, the three core characters of the Birds of Prey–Oracle, Huntress and Black Canary–reunite to face a hidden villain that seems particularly determined to destroy what’s left of Black Canary’s life. At first, they have to face a Batman foe, the Penguin, and then face down villains both old and new to save Black Canary.

I’d elaborate more but that would give away spoilers and the identity of an excellent new villain. I can say there are fist-fights, a helicopter rescue, explosions, and martial arts along with some great character moments. The only drawback is the artwork. The series has had several different artists, all with varying levels of skill and, unfortunately, all seem to delve into too much cheesecake for my taste. I’m not just talking about the costumes, though the return of Huntress’ remarkably ugly belly window costume hurts my eyes, but many of the fight sequences that focus on posing body parts rather than sequential storytelling.

However, I’ve really enjoyed the facial expressions in issues #7-8 that have been pencilled by Ardian Syaf and Guillem March, respectively. Jesus Saiz has been announced as the new regular artist and the previews of his work look terrific.

What Kids Will Like About It:

This series is a good way to introduce kids to the comic book DC Universe. While it does have its adult moments–the Birds go to a male strip club and there’s a lingering sexual fantasy by the Penguin concerning the female cast–its not overly graphic nor any more suggestive than any PG television show. There are also familiar characters from Batman: The Brave and the Bold cartoon, including Black Canary and Huntress. There’s also Hawk & Dove, who have appeared in the Justice League cartoons.

Kids will like the snappy dialogue, the emphasis on action and the strong friendships among the characters as well. The stories are self-contained and don’t require buying any other DC series, despite the tie-in.

What Adults Will Like About It:

It’s no secret that this series features my favorite super heroine, Black Canary. Simone’s run on the first series, particuarly her work on Canary, eventually led to my spending time on her message board and finally ending up as co-moderator. So I have some bias here since I know the writer personally but I loved her work even before I ‘met’ her o the internet. What I appreciate most about her writing in general is the strong friendships and her ability to blend humor with serious situations.

Her heroines in this book enjoy what they do and they enjoy the people they’re doing it with.

Best Panel:

Ack. All the best ones give away major spoilers. But it’s not spoiling things to say that Bruce Wayne, back from the dead, appears as Batman and his reunion with Oracle is just perfect.

Trades:

There are multiple trades of the first series, though my suggestion would be to start with Of Like Minds, the beginning of Simone’s run. I enjoyed the issues by Chuck Dixon–they’re what got me back into comics–but his best arc, The Hunt For Oracle, is oddly collected in a Nightwing trade because it was a crossover. The first trade of this new series, Endrun, is due out in May.

I have an unusual comic this week. The Gathering Volume 1is a collection of short stories rather than a single narrative. It’s also written and illustrated by people you’ve likely never heard of before but hopefully will again.

The idea for The Gathering arose on the Jinxworld forums, the message board hosted by prolific comics writer Brian Bendis. It’s sort of the sequential art equivalent of “hey, we have a barn and Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, so let’s up on a show!”

I’m glad that they followed through because they produced some excellent work.

Summary:

The fourteen black-and-white stories in this collection are very short, only two pages long. They’re loosely centered on the idea of hope. The final cover (unlike the image above) includes “The Thing With Feathers” which is from an Emily Dickinson poem called “Hope” that begins with “hope is the thing with feathers.”

The styles of the stories vary widely and so do the concepts, from very realistic settings to superheroes but the compliment each other despite such diverse work.

I picked Birds of Prey this week for two reasons. The first is that the canceled series is being relaunched this spring with Gail Simone as writer and Ed Benes as artist, a team also responsible for the comic’s definitive run.

The second is that this book is the one that brought me back to comics. I’d lost track after a cross-country move and the birth of my twins. When I finally had a chance to venture into a comic shop, I found several issues of BoP and was hooked. It’s also the comic guaranteed to interest my kids. I’ve given the trades to all four of them and all pronounced it wonderful and mourned with me when the title was canceled.

For most of its publication history, the comic has been written by only two writers, Chuck Dixon and, later, Gail Simone. Dixon’s run pulled me in and Simone’s writing took it to another level and kept me reading even after my favorite character, Black Canary, was pulled off to another book.

Summary:

The core Birds of Prey team is Black Canary, Oracle and Huntress. All three of them were somewhat forgotten characters given new life in the series.

Oracle is Barbara Gordon, the former Batgirl, confined to a wheelchair after being shot by the Joker. Not letting that stop her, Babs sets herself up as the information specialist in the DC Universe. Black Canary is one of the oldest DC characters and one of the few not created as an adjunct to a male character. But that hasn’t stopped writers from shoving her to the background in lieu of her lover, Green Arrow. Helena Bertinelli aka Huntress is a character that was created to replace the popular alternate Earth Huntress who was the daughter of Batman and Catwoman. She’s generally been treated as a third, fourth or even fifth wheel in the Batman books.

All three band together as an espionage team that operates underneath the superhero radar. During Dixon’s run, lots of forgotten DC characters showed up. Simone’s run specialized in giving panel time to forgotten female heroines, especially Zinda, Lady Blackhawk, who became the team’s pilot.

This is a street-level comic, fast-paced, loaded with wonderful dialogue, memorable villains and some of the best panels of hand-to-hand fighting in the DC Universe.

What Kids Will Like About It:

This comic makes my kids smile. The characters face serious problems and threats but they’re not angsty about it. They tackle it head on and with a sometimes dark sense of humor. If your kids watched the Batman: Brave and the Bold episode that featured Black Canary and the Justice Society, the Black Canary in this book is very close to that portrayal.

Also, my twins love the new teen character, Misfit, created by Simone, and Misfit’s exuberant battle cry of “Dark Vengeance!”

What Parents Will Like About It:

I love that it’s one of the few mainstream superhero comics that features female friendships. The main trio might fight and bicker but they’re not just a team, they’re family.

I should mention for the men that the artwork has always been top notch, from Butch Guice to Ed Benes to Nicola Scott. There are times when it gets a little too cheesecakey for my taste but not, I suspect, for most of the adult male readers.

Best Panel:

So hard to choose from a run over one hundred plus issues, so I pulled one of my favorite covers instead:

Birds of Prey #5, First Series

Extras in the Trade:

Alas, I haven’t found much extra in the trades of the series offered by DC. However, I did want to list the trades that include my favorite stories:

Nightwing: The Hunt for Oracle. When he was writing both Nightwing and Birds of Prey, Dixon wrote a great crossover which resulted in Black Canary and Oracle’s first face-to-face meeting. I think it should be in a Birds of Prey trade but, alas, it’s in the Nightwing collection.

Birds of Prey: Sensei & Student. Black Canary takes center stage as she vows to upgrade her skills and avenge the loss of her mentor. It features the enigmatic female assassin Shiva.

There are seven trade volumes of Simone’s Birds of Prey run. I’d recommend them all.

About the Creators:

Chuck Dixon at one point was writing three Batman-related comics in the 1990s and writing them all well: Nightwing, Birds of Prey, and Robin. He also created Stephanie Brown aka Spoiler who had a short career as Robin and after a death that didn’t take, is currently starring in the new Batgirl series as the title character.

Gail Simone was offered work writing comics after being spotted as the writer of the You’ll All Be Sorry parody column on ComicBookResources.com. You can find her in either the Wonder Woman or You’ll All Be Sorry forums on the same site. I wrote a column earlier this year about her work on Wonder Woman.